Chapter 193: Chapter 193: If You Don’t Bargain, Then I’m at a Loss
Faye Yardley hadn’t expected to run into Nicholas on the street, let alone that he’d turn out to be a young man in his twenties.
She also hadn’t expected the owner of that deep, steady voice to be someone who looked so devil-may-care.
’All she could say was that his mother, Mrs. Monty, might not have married late, but she definitely had children late.’
After all, everyone else called Monty ’Grandma’.
The two of them were now inside that white house.
Nicholas nonchalantly sat down in the main seat on the living room sofa, then glanced around the house. "Have a seat. No need to be so formal."
’Who’s the one that needs to be formal?!’
Faye Yardley plopped right down on the armchair across from him. "Are you really Nicholas Momo?"
"The one and only." Nicholas leaned back with a slight smile. "I imagine no one around here would be willing to impersonate me."
’Considering he’s probably taboo around here, what could anyone possibly gain by impersonating him to trick me?’
So she took his letter out of her backpack. "Here. Mrs. Monty asked me to give this to you. If you really are the one she’s looking for."
Hearing the name Monty, Nicholas’s expression stiffened for a moment before returning to normal. He casually took the letter.
[Clear Condition 2 - Help Monty find her son, has been met. Leave the Dungeon now?]
Faye Yardley silently selected ’No’ in her mind.
After reading the letter, Momo’s expression had changed noticeably. "My mother wouldn’t trust an outsider so easily. Do you have something of mine on you?"
She took the ring from her backpack and tossed it to him.
"Huh, you have this? I thought I lost it a long time ago."
"Just happened to find it by accident."
’If it weren’t for that special fishing rod, who could possibly have found this thing?’
Seeing she wasn’t lying, Momo chuckled. "Alright, name your price."
"And you’ll have whatever I ask for?"
Faye Yardley hated people with this kind of insufferable arrogance. Fine, even if he wasn’t entirely human, he was still just as annoying.
"If you don’t say anything, you get nothing. We’ll just say you did a good deed."
"Since you’re asking, Lord Earl, I’ll take two All-World Communication Phones. That’s not too much, is it?"
"Not at all. I am surprised you know this phone exists, though. Seems you really aren’t from around here. I was just thinking, the locals wouldn’t be so bold. It’s rare to find someone who dares to seek me out so openly."
As he spoke, he pulled two brand-new All-World Communication Phones directly from his Storage Ring and gave them to her.
’No, wait, the fact that you gave them up so easily makes me feel like I asked for too little. What a loss.’
Tears streamed down her face internally, but she put the phones into her backpack and thanked Momo with a smile. "Thank you for your generosity, Lord Earl."
Momo tossed the ring back to her. "Since you’re the one who found it, it’s yours now."
[Ring, enhanced by Count Nicholas. Increased deterrent effect against Vampires.]
Faye Yardley really hadn’t expected the ring to be enhanced. Her thanks this time was much more sincere. "Thank you."
She then slipped the ring onto her left thumb.
"Oh, I still don’t know your name. Since you have an All World Communication, let’s add each other as friends."
"Faye Yardley. Okay."
Faye Yardley watched as another name appeared in her All World Communication friends list. At the same time, the system prompted: [Congratulations. You have earned the friendship of the Vampire noble, Nicholas Momo.]
"Oh, right. Since you live here, any chance you can get your hands on a Freedom Crystal?" Momo asked casually, not really expecting much.
Taking the small, rectangular crystal from her backpack, Faye Yardley shook it slightly. "This one?"
"Yes! I can’t believe you actually have one. Ha, I have to say, my luck is pretty good."
"Here."
Momo waved his hand. "I can’t take it; it only works if you’re holding it. Well then, now I can take you back openly. Come on, let’s go to my mother’s village. Don’t worry, I’ll make it worth your while."
Faye Yardley didn’t object.
To be honest, she still hadn’t figured out what this Dungeon was even about.
In any case, Clear Condition 2 was met, and 3 was about to be. Condition 1 was just the simplest way to survive.
Since she didn’t know what to do, she might as well follow the quest NPC.
Walking out of the house, Faye Yardley remembered the Skeletal Horse in the backyard. "I want to take the horse."
"Of course. It’s even better that you have a horse."
But before they left, Faye Yardley asked him to wait outside for a moment. She couldn’t help it; she needed to change something. If she started bleeding, it would be more than just awkward. What if the scent triggered them?
After taking care of things and coming back out, Faye Yardley said to Momo, who was leaning against the Skeletal Horse and staring blankly at the sky, "Sorry to keep you waiting."
"It wasn’t long. You humans are pretty interesting." Momo patted the Skeletal Horse. "Let’s go."
With that, he vaulted onto the horse himself and pulled Faye Yardley up behind him.
Sharing a mount, Faye Yardley blinked but didn’t say anything. As long as they could go fast, it was fine.
She wasn’t the type to get hung up on things like this.
They rode straight out of the city gates and galloped along. Mist gradually began to rise on both sides of the road, but aside from obscuring their vision, nothing else appeared.
Even the fluttering sound of birds had vanished.
And the once brightly sunlit sky was now sunless. She wasn’t sure if it was blocked by the mist, but she felt the sky had returned to how it had been the past two days.
She wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but it was definitely shorter than her trip into the city. The Skeletal Horse had already stopped at the village entrance.
"Miss Yardley, take out the Freedom Crystal."
Taking out the crystal, Faye Yardley was a little confused. "How do I use it?"
Momo gave her a strange look. "If you don’t know, how would I?"
Faye Yardley could only try communicating with the system. Thankfully, the system was very helpful. [Confirm use of quest item on this village?]
"Yes."
After she confirmed, the slender crystal automatically left her hand, emitting a soft glow as it flew above the village. With a sudden flash, the light enveloped the entire village, including its fields, hills, and rivers.
The villagers all came out of their homes and looked up at the sky. Some of the more emotional ones dropped directly to their knees.
Monty tremblingly opened her door and came out. As the light hit her, her skin began to regain its vitality, the change visible to the naked eye.
Unlike the other villagers, her gaze was fixed on the village entrance. Despite the considerable distance, Faye Yardley could clearly see the surprise, disbelief, and excitement in her eyes.
Sitting once again on the old-fashioned sofa in Mrs. Monty’s living room, Faye Yardley finally saw her host bring out different food to serve her.
’Heh, what a pragmatic woman!’
’Help her find her son, and her attitude completely changes.’
’Or maybe it hasn’t changed. After all, that plate of fruit was placed in front of Momo.’
After her initial happiness, Mrs. Monty couldn’t help but say, "You shouldn’t have come back."
Momo, however, picked up a red fruit and handed it to Faye Yardley. "Don’t worry. Just like the potatoes, this is fine for ordinary humans to eat."
